


Sparks Fly

by LeiMcCartney



Series: Swift Series [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Drabble, Drunken Flirting, M/M, Nostalgia, Sappy, Student Steve Rogers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-06
Updated: 2020-04-06
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:34:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23510014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeiMcCartney/pseuds/LeiMcCartney
Summary: Tony goes drinking on his birthday and meets a certain college student
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Series: Swift Series [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1430791
Comments: 2
Kudos: 37





	Sparks Fly

“Don’t you ever dream of flying?” The other said, leaning heavily on the table, glass clutched in his hand, what little whiskey was left in it swishing dangerously close to spilling. The rougish smile that was on Tony’s face gave him a boyish charm, a sparkle of what once was ever present on his face. Back before the weight of his father’s legacy had pressed down on him. Back before the cameras were glued to his face like a sunflower turned to the sun, feeding off of everything he gave, and he gave a lot. His face, his name, his ideas, and everything that he could...only for it all to be labelled as attention seeking and fake. 

That’s what had led him to drink his worries away on his 26th birthday, feeling too old to achieve his dreams and yet too young to shoot his brains out. So, he had walked into the bar, with the man behind it already aware of what type of night this was going to be. Tony had never been shy of contributing to the profits of his local bar, especially if they were going to stock his favorite things, including a particularly sweet plum wine that was fun to start the night with before moving to the tequila shots. 

And so, Tony had walked in, ready to drink his memories away that night, already several glasses of wine in, when a bachelor party walked in. At first, he had simply laughed at them, feeling a sense of misplaced nostalgia for the scene of these friends stumbling in, arms wrapped around each other and laughing at some stupidity. It was a nostalgia as described in one of the English college classes he had sat in during high school, one that was neither real nor ever going to happen. It was obvious that the bachelor was the one with sandy blonde hair and a weird purple fashion. Turning back to the bartender, Tony loudly announced a round of shots for all the bachelor party, on his tab, and the group had hollered with happiness, patting him on the back and sitting around him. Joining in with them, they had made a drinking game out of the night and had ended up in the karaoke room in the back, wailing out the lyrics to Piano Man. Having already drunk before their arrival, Tony had tapped out rather fast and slumped into one of the booths ready to fall asleep now that he had had a little fun.

But then, dream boy angel here had sat down next to him with those gorgeous blue eyes and wrinkled eyebrows that looked down at him with such concern so beautiful and so wretched to Tony's despairful mind. 

"Hey, I brought you some water since you don't look to be doing so good." A water bottled was pressed to his hand, but he was too mesmerized by the pale blonde eyelashes that looked they were supposed to be in a Renaissance painting not on a young-looking college student. His fingers closed around the bottle, but his eyes stayed fastened on the man's face, moving from his face to those lips. His tongue licked his own lips before he shook his head and looked at what was in his hand. Oh yeah, water bottle. He opened it up and took back a swig, feeling the cool water fill his mouth.

  
"Happy?" Tony lifted his eyebrows at the boy and the other looked at him with concerned regard. "Kid, don't worry about it. You get back to the bachelor party." He waved a lazy hand at the young boy.

"Steve." The other said, taking Tony's hand in his and shaking it. "My name is Steve Rogers." For a second, all Tony could do was look down at their joined hands and blink blankly at it.

"What are you doing?" Tony frowned.

"Introducing myself." 

"Why?" Tony leaned his head back and frowned up at him. "Do you want something?"

The other looked taken aback. He opened his mouth but was interrupted by the boys behind him suddenly belting out a verse to Don't Stop Believing. He threw back a slightly annoyed look although he didn't seem like the type to usually sport that type of face. 

"I just... wanted to get to know the person who's making Clint's bachelor party memorable." Steve said lightly, taking his hand back now and looking bashful. 

"Tony." He glanced up and down Steve. Despite their obvious college look and actions, there was something different about the boy who had a more conservative look about him, not in the political way or at least not purposefully. "Where are you from Steve?" He took another gulp of water. 

"I grew up in Pennsylvania. Came to New York for college on scholarship." He said, sitting down next to him. The pounding music around them was making Tony feel like he was in some 2000's music video. If he were correct, that should be a rendition of Katy Perry's Last Friday Night being sung right now. He tuned back into what was being said.

"So you're a country boy, Steve?" Tony tilted up a smile at him, leaning an elbow against the table. He turned lazily to look for a glass of some form of alcohol on the table. He found his elixir in the form of a half drunk whiskey on the rocks. He grabbed it and let the sour taste fill his mouth before swallowing, licking what drop had escaped his lips. He turned back to Steve whose eyes were glued to Tony. This gave the millionaire the initiative he needed to lean toward the college country boy, getting closer than what was probably appropriate, but fuck it! He was drunk! And this boy was ridiculously handsome.

"Don’t you ever dream of flying?" Tony said softly, the heart between them was intoxicating. Or maybe it was the whiskey. Either way, Tony was tired of holding alcohol-filled glasses in his hands, he wanted something hotter, warmer under his fingertips for him to explore. He wanted soft-looking blond hair to entangle his fingers in, and a wet pair of lips underneath his own. 

"What?" Steve tilted his head in confusion. Tony groaned and threw back the last of the whiskey before putting the glass down on the table.

"Country boy, think about it." He turned his back on Steve and leaned back against him. The other jumped a little at first, but let him, taking the full weight and form what Tony could tell from the muscly chest and arms, the other could take it. "You ran away to New York to chase a dream, to fly away from your little town with a future only in the past. You wanted to run hand in hand to outside your hay cage and towards a new beginning, no? But, Steve, you've been running so long, so long," Tony felt the sting of tears in his eyes, "Don't you ever dream of flying?" He tilted his head all the way back so he could make eyes contact with the other who was regarding him with a stricken look.

Tony kept the eye contact for a few second before letting his head fall back down, his eyes fluttering shut. For second, he felt absolutely nothing, letting himself drift off into the darkness that came before dreams, surrounded in the smell of what could've been his early 20's. Instead he had been forced into a role that had dominated his identity, consumed his days and ate up his nights until there was nothing but his work and his ideas. Nothing that anyone wanted from him except updates on the technology he spewed out. Until there was nothing of himself.

Just as he was feeling himself fall into actual unconsciousness, two pairs of hands wrapped around his arms and gently nudged him to a more alert state. He inhaled sharply, feeling like both no time had passed and like if an eternity had passed.

He groaned and sat up, clutching his forehead as a slight headache began to form.

"The boys are heading out, and well, I'm the sober driver. I didn't want to just leave you here since you drank quite a lot and you were nice enough to buy us drinks." Steve slid an arm under his and helped lift him up. The other boys that had come with the bachelor party were already stumbling towards the door, laughing obnoxious frat boy laughs. There was something about all of this that gave him an intense sense of longing for a past that he would never be able to have. What a life he could've had had he not sacrificed his entire young adulthood to a company that would never value him besides the monetary value that they could put on his products, on the patents that were never ending hell.

Before he knew it, he was being tucked into the passenger seat, being buckled in like he were a child again. A part of him was embarrassed but the other part was happy to have those gigantic pecs in front of his face. 

From then on, everything went hazy again except for the fact that another water bottle was pressed into his hand, cold and refreshing but ultimately tucked away as he turned towards the window and fell asleep again. If he forced himself he could remember the other boys being dropped off, some needing more help than others, but all too quickly, he woke up to the car being turned off, the slight buzz of the engine running being deprived.

"Hey, Tony?" The other said softly as he opened the door, leaning slightly into the car so he could speak to him. "You wouldn't tell me where you live so I've brought you back to my dorm. I hope that's okay?" The other snorted and looked up at the college boy incredulously. 

"You brought a complete stranger to your dorm....because I bought you drinks?" Tony shook his head and crossed his arms. "You know, that's super dangerous! And not good! And you shouldn't do that anymore!" Tony pointed a finger at the other's face. "You're lucky that I am a decent person who isn't like a mass murderer! or a pervert! Or something like that! That's not good like at all."

He was gently led into the dorm and up to flights of stairs which were no easy feet, Tony was sure, for Steve who had the misfortune of not trying to get them to take the elevator. No, instead, he had the pleasure of trying to get a newly turned 26 year old up stairs when incredibly inebriated, while said drunk person rambled on.

"Come on, Steve. You never answered me back... back whenever it was!" Tony waved a hand. "Don't you ever want to fly? Just get away from it all and let loose!" He managed to stumble towards Steve so that he had the abnormally tall and buff college student pinned against the railing. His hands trailed their way up to around Steve's neck bringing their faces close together. "Think about it, Steve. I could take you anywhere in the world and anywhere you'd like. I can tell that you and me, we've been doing the same thing forever. We've been running and running and running and running." The last one was said with a sigh and more watery eyes. He let go of him and tried to sit down on the steps, only stopped by a hand on his arm. He looked up warily at the source.

"You don't have to run tonight, Tony." Steve was looking down at him with eyes that weren't pity but were. He looked both tender and concerned as only a stranger with a strange affinity for picking up strays could. "Come on. We don't even have to fly tonight. You can take me out to the other side of the world, but for tonight, you can just sleep." 

Something in Tony broke at that, and he began to cry. There were hot tears rolling down his already warm face and he let himself be dragged up to his feet and up the stairs. And as they went higher and he was led deeper into this college dorm, Tony felt an ache in his body, from his chest to his feet that felt both old as time and yet so newly discovered. 

Tonight was supposed to be another night to get drunk and black out. And instead, an angel he had offered wings to wanted him to just calm down and sleep. He didn't even know that was all he wanted. 

Tony was pushed onto the bed, sitting with an arm next to him so that he wouldn't lean too far to fall. The room was dark save for a half a window's worth of moonlight that illuminated a rather organized room. Weren't college students supposed to be messy?

He looked down at the blond kneeling at his feet, getting his shoes off. 

"You don't have to do that." Tony mumbled, grabbing the collar of his shirt and dragging him up. The other followed with a look of confusion on his face. "I got this, look." In an exaggerated move, he yanked off his shoes, which cost too much to be treating this way and fell back onto the bed. It was a tiny bed. God, such a tiny tiny bed.

Steve laughed softly, and the older man realized that he had said that out loud and pouted. He gave him a fond smile and took off his own shoes, putting them neatly next to Tony's. What a hilarious pair of shoes they made. One were hundreds and hundreds of dollars, cleaned by a maid or butler every day so that they looked like they were just bought, and the other pair that were worn down and while stylish, definitely old. 

"Scoot over," Steve yawned. "I only have this one bed and I'm tired too."

The older man rolled over so that his back was on the wall and wiggled his way under the covers. Then he lifted the covers so that Steve could crawl in as well and he did. 

  
"I'm not usually big spoon." Tony mused as he put his chin on Steve's head. 

  
"Shut up and go to sleep, Tony." The other yawned. He snuggled in closer. "And don't forget, Tony. You said you would take me out to fly."

  
"I'll take ya round the world, Steve."

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know if you like this and if you might want to see more of this! I can see a few more chapters being stretched out. :)


End file.
